Good-bye boob photos - your ideas?
Friedeggs
Member Posts: 16 ✭
I've spent a month wrestling with the information about DCIS, and my decisions about what to do next.
Starting with a flyer for the BCNA, given to me by BreastScreen NSW, that seemed to indicate that DCIS is not straight-up, bald-faced cancer.
I spent the first 2 weeks after diagnosis trying to get my head around concepts and terminology. Is it life-threatening? No. Does it mean you're more likely to get invasive cancer at some point? Yes. Can you sit on it, and see what happens? Yes, if you like playing Russian roulette.
The next 2 weeks making appointments with specialists...
Starting with a flyer for the BCNA, given to me by BreastScreen NSW, that seemed to indicate that DCIS is not straight-up, bald-faced cancer.
I spent the first 2 weeks after diagnosis trying to get my head around concepts and terminology. Is it life-threatening? No. Does it mean you're more likely to get invasive cancer at some point? Yes. Can you sit on it, and see what happens? Yes, if you like playing Russian roulette.
The next 2 weeks making appointments with specialists...
A breast surgeon: get it out.
A plastic surgeon: we have marvellous folding tables and can recreate your boob from other bits of your body. For my A-B cup delights? No thanks, way too much hassle.
A doctor who has had a bilateral mastectomy: you don't want to deal with radiotherapy and chemo, get it out.
My doctor friend who uses complementary therapy: it's about survival, and you're young with a lot of stressors in your life, get it out.
A breast surgeon and top-level researcher: we can't force you to do anything but getting it out is the best idea.
And so the expert consensus, even though I feel fine, I am potentially fine, and I may remain potentially fine, is that I should cut out my very small boob - including the 6.1cm of low-grade DCIS - and get on with it.
So that is what I've lined up for later this month, even though a vain and fatalistic version of myself is writhing around inside me, clammering for attention so I can hear it scream STOP.
On the pro-mastectomy side:
And so the expert consensus, even though I feel fine, I am potentially fine, and I may remain potentially fine, is that I should cut out my very small boob - including the 6.1cm of low-grade DCIS - and get on with it.
So that is what I've lined up for later this month, even though a vain and fatalistic version of myself is writhing around inside me, clammering for attention so I can hear it scream STOP.
On the pro-mastectomy side:
- I'm small-breasted so this is not such a big deal in terms of lop-sidedness
- Survival, maybe
- I can take up archery with fewer complications
- Maybe it's time to go #braless4ever
On the con side:
- Survival, maybe
- I can take up archery with fewer complications
- Maybe it's time to go #braless4ever
On the con side:
- I'm cutting out a boob
- Scars, pain and zombie-time
- Dressing myself might be a bit of a nuisance
So you see, there are more pros.
Anyway, as part of saying goodbye to my booby, I've planned a pre-surgery photoshoot. Candid, B&W, naturalistic in my home. Does anyone have any ideas for poses, props and backgrounds that would work? Or good places to look for inspiration?
I've tried Google-Imaging but I don't like to spend too much of my life scrolling through porn sites... which is what happens when you search terms like topless, semi-nude, female body art.
Thanks in advance!
- Scars, pain and zombie-time
- Dressing myself might be a bit of a nuisance
So you see, there are more pros.
Anyway, as part of saying goodbye to my booby, I've planned a pre-surgery photoshoot. Candid, B&W, naturalistic in my home. Does anyone have any ideas for poses, props and backgrounds that would work? Or good places to look for inspiration?
I've tried Google-Imaging but I don't like to spend too much of my life scrolling through porn sites... which is what happens when you search terms like topless, semi-nude, female body art.
Thanks in advance!
Tagged:
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Comments
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@Friedeggs
On the positive side, I had no pain or zombie time after a mastectomy (large boob), dressed myself after 2 days in hospital, and went shopping after 5. There are definitely more pros. Good decision, look forward rather than backwards!3 -
@Friedeggs, I had a BMX and I didn’t really have zombie time, was up and about pretty quickly and Panadol did the trick after a week. I hope you come out of it really well. One thing I felt in absolute buckets was an incredible sense of relief and there has not been one second in the last 12 months where I questioned my decision. I look at things in the rear view mirror, but I am firmly focussed on the road ahead. Enjoy the photo shoot and I hope you get some good ideas from everyone here. Take care x3
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Yeahhh
I set up a Frueda Carlo themed head wrap with beads and colourful shawl .so I had a few risque pics and printed pics myself at Office works With 10 years as a mono boobSurgery was easy..... think I missthe red hair more than the boob🤣2 -
Hi @Friedeggs,
That sounds like a very stressful time for you.
This breast stuff is a bit insidious. You can feel ok without knowing you have breast cancer until you arent. I didnt have dcis but its still cancerous right? It just hasnt busted out of the duct yet. 6.1cm is something that needs dealing with and you have made a very positive step.
I didnt have a professional shoot. I did take photos. More as a reference point to compare with "the good one" later on if i had concerns. When i look at these photos now it makes perfect sense that there was cancer there and i only feel relief.
I think its a great idea to get a photo shoot if it helps you. There is a sort of grief attached to this situation andxwhatrver you need is good.
Hugs x
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Hey! 😁
Try this site, it looks good:
https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/notputtingonashirt.org/2020/12/13/before-your-surgery-memorializing-your-breasts/amp/
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@Friedeggs I had a new bra I hadn't worn as yet. Before surgery I had adult daughter take a photo of my boobs in my new bra. I was a 20dd and like my boobs. This photo helped me mentally because I knew I would never look like that again. After surgery I was happy I had the photo. It definitely helped my mental health. Good luck with your decision and photo shoot.
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It was my brother who suggested I take a couple of Before & After pics, @Friedeggs..... so I did!! Nothing fancy ... just me & my phone ..... But mine was quite minor surgery, compared to what a lot of you have had done .... so well done YOU xxx1
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@Friedeggs did you end up doing your photo shoot?
I'm 29 and have just been diagnosed with a 7cm high grade DCIS and will need a mastectomy, I'm also small busted but at 29 am not ready to be flat just yet so I'm getting a small implant reconstruction.
I'm in Melbourne and am looking for a photographer before my surgery in a few weeks3 -
I didn’t do a photo shoot and wish I had.
So I can’t help you with an actual photographer.
There was a breast cancer surgeon in the UK diagnosed with breast cancer who did a blog and then wrote a book about her experience and she had a photo shoot which was very good.
All the best.
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Dr Liz O’Riordan.0
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Hi @NadiaC - I'm glad that you found the DCIS, although I'm sorry you're now part of this bloody club that nobody wanted to join in the first place.
It turns out that the lump that took me to the Breastscreen NSW van in the first place wasn't even an issue.
But that lump, combined with knowledge of my family's susceptibility (even though genetics testing revealed nothing), meant that I had surgery which removed what was in the end 6.5 cm of DCIS plus a bonus, previously unnoticed 0.5 cm of metastatic cancer. So it's good you're doing something about it.
Sorry about the delay in replying! I was waiting for photos to be published in the Choosing Reconstruction group so that you could see some examples of my shoot, plus recovery. You can see them on my thread "Going flat: single, nipple-sparing mastectomy without reconstruction".
I had my photo shoot in June, just before my surgery.
I got recommendations for photographers from a painter-friend. I wasn't comfortable approaching an unknown commercial photographer with my deeply personal request. I was lucky my mate was able to suggest 3 different people. Her top recommendation was for a sensitive male photographer, but I was immediately drawn to her description of "an earthy female friend who trained in photography but now works in childcare".
Ange arrived with her cousin in tow. They took some candid shots of me and my family, then we chased my kids and partner (now -ex!) out of the house. They took a couple of me draped with some light chiffon fabric on my bed. She took of couple of me sitting in a frangipani tree with the chiffon shawl, but they didn't quite work out... I'm posted some of the better ones on the forum for your inspiration. The experience of being photographed semi-nude was awkward, exhilarating, sad and grounding. I'm glad I did it.
And there's a final photo from last week to show you (and anyone else who's in the same boat) how I look 6 months down the track after a nipple-saving single mastectomy without reconstruction.
Another thing I did was splurge on a makeup lesson at MECCA - where the cost of the lesson is redeemable for products of the same value! I've never been the most feminine girl, what I know about cosmetics can fit on a post-it note (like, a miniature flag-sized one). So I decided that since I was losing a dimension of my womanhood, I would super-charge my knowledge of girly-girl aesthetics. I'm glad I did that too.
All the best guys. I'm here for any questions you have... Hugs.2 -
@Friedeggs sorry I didn't see the notification earlier but your photos look great.
I ended up doing a nude photoshoot with a male black and white specialist photographer and I loved them! So so happy.
Also did some body casting with friends which was hilarious and loved the ended result. I think both experiences were quite cathartic and helped me emotionally adjust to the idea of losing my breast.
I'm now 10 days post op and feeling pretty good physically and emotionally, drains came out at day 7 which was great too.
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